If you take a look around Mark Stranaly's garage, you see the signs of an artist at work. Wood carvings in different stages of completion, wires formed into human figures, and sketches and paintings are all around, but some of his best work is outside- too big to fit in his workshop. Stranaly started forming spare wire from his dad's electrical business into figures when he was just 10 years old. Small works with not a lot of detail, more suggestive of forms than realistic figures. An uncle, who carved ice fishing decoys, was an inspiration when it came to carving wood. “He was always carving things and giving them out as gifts, so I got to study those. I just liked the way it felt to feel the knife cutting into the wood. People encouraged me as a kid, and it always kept my interest. It was on and off through the years, but I always kind of had a plan in the back of my head, that once I got to a certain age I wanted to focus on carving and art. I've always had ideas and visions of art, but never understood it as art,” said Stranaly. Wood was always available to Stranaly and is a favorite medium for him to use. “One of the big factors of using wood, is that it's abundant and its free. I can find a dead tree and breathe new life into it. Turn it into something that can live again,” explained Stranaly. Working different jobs, including a stint as a rigger on the Mackinac Bridge, body technician at Body Shop 23 in Cheboygan and worker on the Cut River Bridge in the Upper Peninsula, kept Stranaly busy, at the same time teaching him different skills that he didn't realize would help him in his dream of creating art until now. “The jobs I had in the past have really helped me to have the ability to do what I want as far as what I'm doing now. Metal work and concrete and wood working. Things I've done with my hands. All of the things that I've tasted I want to perfect and incorporate them all into my sculptures,” said Stranaly. Small wood carvings such as masks and relief works were Stranaly's first sales in the art world. Many went to an art collector in British Colombia, who thought Stranaly's work was indicative of some the Native American tribes of the area, said Stranaly. Much of his work is inspired by Native American art, like the totem poles which were recently featured at the Ottawa Art Park in Cheboygan, or the wildlife totem that he carved for an individual in Mackinaw City. A large snake carving is on display at Legs Inn in Cross Village. “He's 12 or 13 feet long and carved from a piece of found cedar. He's out in the garden in the summer, scaring people. He gets a little bit of attention there,” said Stranaly. “I'm hoping to maybe do a totem for them in the future.” The big break for Stranaly came when his friend Mary Boucard, a photographer in Cheboygan, saw him working on a carved sunflower driveway marker. Boucard took some photographs of the carvings, and posted them on Facebook. “She didn't know that I carved or that I was doing anything artistic, and was talking on Facebook about the markers, and her cousin happened to be a scout for Carhartt who was looking for subjects for their lookbook, which features their products being used by people in different fields,” said Stranaly. Next thing Stranaly knew, he had a 30-foot motorhome in his yard along with a crew from Roe Photography taking pictures of him for the Spring 2014 Carhartt lookbook. Along with the still camera crew, a video crew was filming the shoot as part of a documentary for Carhartt's 125th anniversary and the Pure Michigan campaign. “I had a great time with that, regardless what comes out of it because of the exposure I'm going to get in the spring when the lookbook goes out to every Carhartt distributor. The documentary is going to get exposure at the Sundance Film Festival. I'm anxious to see what the film will look like, and I think it's going to be used in the Pure Michigan campaign too,” said Stranaly. Currently, Stranaly is working on carvings for a couple of individuals, and just recently completed a large abstract sculpture he worked on at Moran Iron Works. “The sculpture at Moran was quite an ordeal. The wood got mold on in it and it took cases of bleach to get it back to the white color I wanted it to be,” said Stranaly. “I'm really happy to be involved in the artist group at Moran. It's great to work with like minds and learn from the knowledge they have, along with being able to use the resources at the shop.” Stranaly was invited to be a judge at the first Moran Iron Works Art Competition on Oct. 24 at the new Industrial Arts Complex opened by the company. Stranaly recently met with the Department of Natural Resources and hopes to do a three-piece installment for the trail heads in Cheboygan. “It will be a hiker, a biker and a snowmobiler, in a metal wire medium. It's a possibility at this point, and I'm hoping it works out,” said Stranaly. Stranaly remains modest even with the recent good fortune that he has had and growing exposure as a rising artist. I'm trying to make it as an — I'm still uncomfortable saying it — artist. But people are starting to call me it. There are a lot of amazing artists that have doing it for years that don't get nearly the recognition that they should. I feel blessed I'm getting the opportunity to be doing something that I love doing,” said Stranaly. Some of Stranaly's work can be seen at www.thecommissionedcarver.com, and on his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ mark.stranaly.7.